I just bought a new Taylor Nylon string today, oh
my....why I didn't I buy a nylon strong years ago baffles me, even
when I had a traditional classical guitar sitting in my corner for years and
years. This may very well be my main guitar now for looping. These
Taylor's are really interesting guitars, because even though they are often
shunned by traditional classical guitarists and even some acoustic jazz players
(based on some reviews I read) as sounding very flat and sterile
unamplified (which I agree is partly true), they sound tremendous through the
electronic pickup system. I believe these guitars were designed to be
played amplified, not "unplugged". In fact, my inexpensive Yamaha
classical guitar sounds better unplugged...but that is not the point
here.
I bought the NS32-CE, which is the entry level
model for Taylor nylon strings....after weighing the options I got with higher
models, and the fact that the neck and fretboard (playability) is basically the
same on all the models, I went this route because I prefer a simple guitar,
rather than one with exotic woods and all the other bells and whistles.
This guitar is basically the sibling of my Taylor steel string electric,
the 310 CE. They look very similar.
What I like most about the nylon string and what I
like to do looping-wise is that the tone of the nylon string sounds very
traditional and authentic (maybe because I was trained on the classical guitar
and it is often considered the instrument for academic study), yet I am placing
this in juxtaposition with some serious tone mangling and experimental effects.
I just love the contrast of these two extremes. It would be analogous to placing
a microphone on a grand piano and running it through a bunch of insane soft
synths. You have this beautiful and warm bell-like tone of a nylon string
guitar, but driving the most wild and bizarre VST effects. It really is a
wonderful thing. The tone of the guitar can be so soft and warm, yet the effects
it triggers can take a whole new course of action and life of their
own.
I hope to bring this to Y2K6, unless I think I
might not be able to get it on the plane safely. I had no problems last
year.
Kris
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 11:32
AM
Subject: Re: Selling my hardware
effect/looping system! (2 VF1s, Fireworx, Looperlative)
Krispen, you gotta let me know when you start amping a
nylon-string through that setup. It's my favorite guitar tone (it's the only
guitar I play at this point) and I like its effected sound too. I have a lot
of fun sending it through an Effector 13 fuzzbox, just a sick thing (the Truly
Beautiful Disaster), it works great.
Daryl Shawn
www.swanwelder.com
And like I said, I really want to get a
Taylor Nylon string. It is surprising that I haven't bought a nice electric
nylon string after all these years, because the classical guitar was my
first instrument, and I studies it for several years, from age 12 onward.
Not that I plan to play Bach again (good grief, no....my brain is too full
and I've forgotten that sheet music long ago), but it is the tone of the
nylon string that I adore so much...and I am really looking forward to
hearing it through my VST
system.
